Across the hybrid multi-source index, North Carolina is above average in overall freedom, ranking #8 of 50 states with a score of 65.4/100. Its strongest areas are economic freedom, 4th amendment, education choice, while it scores lowest in regulatory burden, 2nd amendment, drug policy.
How North Carolina performs in each freedom category, ranked best to worst.
Score movements from the Cato 2023 baseline to the current hybrid multi-source index.
8 categories improved · 2 declined · 0 stable
Each score is drawn from the publisher listed on the tile. Hover the source chip for edition and methodology detail.
North Carolina ranks stronger than most states for free-speech protections, as measured by press-shield and anti-SLAPP laws, public-forum protections, and limits on protest restrictions.
Guns & Ammo 2023 — rank 26/50
North Carolina ranks near the national middle for gun rights (26th of 50), as measured by carry permitting, magazine and assault-weapon limits, and red-flag laws.
IJ Policing for Profit 2025 — forfeiture grade B+
North Carolina ranks among the strongest in the nation for privacy and search protections, as measured by civil-asset-forfeiture limits, digital-warrant requirements, and surveillance rules.
Fraser EFNA 2024 (Overall subn score 7.59 for 2023) — rank 7/50
North Carolina ranks among the strongest in the nation for economic freedom (7th of 50), as measured by income, sales, and property taxes alongside the broader business climate.
Vera People in Prison 2024 — rank 22/50 (295/100k)
North Carolina ranks near the national middle for criminal-justice fairness (22nd of 50), as measured by incarceration rates, police accountability, and sentencing policy.
Cannabis status 2025 — Decrim Only (no medical program, possession decriminalized)
North Carolina ranks near the national middle for drug-policy freedom, as measured by marijuana legality, decriminalization, and drug-offense sentencing.
IJ Eminent Domain 2025 — post-Kelo protections C
North Carolina ranks stronger than most states for property rights, as measured by eminent-domain limits, zoning flexibility, and rent-control rules.
North Carolina ranks stronger than most states for religious liberty, as measured by a state RFRA, conscience protections, and religious-use accommodations.
EdChoice ABCs 2025 — universal eligibility, 2 programs — top program covers 100% of students
North Carolina ranks stronger than most states for school choice, as measured by vouchers, education savings accounts, and charter and homeschool access.
Mercatus RegData 2024 — rank 22/48 (109,244 restrictions)
North Carolina ranks near the national middle for regulatory freedom (22nd of 48), as measured by occupational licensing and business-entry barriers.
Provenance
1st Amendment
FreedomRankings Editorial (no strong annual state-level source exists for 1st Amendment speech protections)
2nd Amendment
Guns & Ammo "Best States for Gun Owners"
4th Amendment
Institute for Justice -- "Policing for Profit" (asset forfeiture grades)
Economic Freedom
Fraser Institute -- Economic Freedom of North America (EFNA)
Criminal Justice
Vera Institute -- "People in Prison" (annual incarceration data)
Drug Policy
Per-state cannabis legality status (composite: NORML state pages, DISA legality map, NCSL medical cannabis tracker)
Property Rights
Institute for Justice -- Eminent Domain / Castle Coalition
Religious Liberty
FreedomRankings Editorial (no strong annual state-level source exists for religious liberty rankings)
Education Choice
EdChoice -- "ABCs of School Choice"
Regulatory Burden
Mercatus Center -- RegData state regulatory restrictions
North Carolina ranks #8 of 50 US states for overall freedom, with a score of 65.4/100 on the 2026 FreedomRankings index of constitutional rights, economic freedom, and personal liberty. Its strongest freedom is Economic Freedom (8.8/10); its weakest is Drug Policy (4.5/10).
Frequently Asked
Answers are generated from North Carolina's actual category scores and rank. Toggle the source to recompute against a different dataset.
North Carolina ranks #8 of 50 US states with a freedom score of 65.4/100. The score is a weighted average of 10 categories — constitutional rights, economic freedom, criminal justice, drug policy, education choice, and more — drawn from the FreedomRankings Hybrid multi-source index (Fraser Institute, EdChoice, Institute for Justice, Vera Institute, NORML, Mercatus RegData, Guns & Ammo).
North Carolina scores highest in Economic Freedom (8.8/10), 4th Amendment (8.5/10), and Education Choice (7.3/10). These are the categories where North Carolina is most protective of individual liberty relative to other US states.
North Carolina scores lowest in Drug Policy (4.5/10), 2nd Amendment (4.9/10), and Regulatory Burden (5.7/10). These are the categories where North Carolina is most restrictive relative to other US states.
North Carolina scores 4.9/10 on Second Amendment / gun rights, which places it moderately restrictive on firearms. This score reflects carry laws, permit requirements, magazine and assault-weapon restrictions, red flag laws, and castle doctrine / stand-your-ground protections.
North Carolina scores 8.8/10 on economic freedom, placing it among the top states for economic freedom. The score reflects state income-tax rates, sales and property taxes, business tax climate, right-to-work status, and the overall regulatory burden on economic activity.
North Carolina scores 4.5/10 on drug policy, which makes it mixed on drug policy — some reforms but ongoing restrictions. The score incorporates recreational and medical marijuana legality, decriminalization of possession, harm-reduction programs, and sentencing for drug offenses.
North Carolina scores 7.3/10 on education choice, placing it above average for education freedom. The score reflects voucher programs, education savings accounts, charter-school access, homeschool regulations, and tax-credit scholarships.
Each of North Carolina's 10 category scores (0–10) is a weighted average, then multiplied by 10 to produce the overall 0–100 freedom score. Categories are weighted equally by default, but visitors can adjust the weights on the rankings page to produce a personalised ranking. The default source is the FreedomRankings Hybrid multi-source index; the Cato Institute 2023 edition and an editorial assessment are also available as toggles. See the methodology page for per-category source attribution.
Click any official to view their full profile, donors, and financial info.
North Carolina ranks #8 of 50 states for overall freedom in 2026, with a score of 65.4/100 — 7.8 points above the 50-state average of 57.6/100. It scores above the national average in 6 of its 10 freedoms, a quick read on whether North Carolina is broadly free or strong in just a few areas.
North Carolina’s best freedoms are economic freedom and 4th amendment. North Carolina ranks among the strongest in the nation for economic freedom (7th of 50), as measured by income, sales, and property taxes alongside the broader business climate. North Carolina ranks among the strongest in the nation for privacy and search protections, as measured by civil-asset-forfeiture limits, digital-warrant requirements, and surveillance rules.
North Carolina scores lowest on drug policy and 2nd amendment. North Carolina ranks near the national middle for drug-policy freedom, as measured by marijuana legality, decriminalization, and drug-offense sentencing. North Carolina ranks near the national middle for gun rights (26th of 50), as measured by carry permitting, magazine and assault-weapon limits, and red-flag laws.
North Carolina’s closest neighbors in the ranking are Missouri (#7, 66.2/100) and Florida (#9, 64.6/100). Use the comparison tool to see exactly which freedoms separate them, category by category.
See how all 50 states stack up on the issues that drive North Carolina’s score.
Popular head-to-head matchups, or compare North Carolina with any state.
